Even for those weeks on end, when the polls and the pundits were saying it was a dead cert, I just couldn't bring myself to take it for granted that America would elect a black president.
I'm still thrilled by it. It does genuinely feel like something has changed in the world. A massive border has shifted. Aspirations are now not just based on theoretical possibility or 'what if' - this is tangible, actual precedent.
The crowds, the speech, the sheer fact of it is genuinely very inspiring and very moving. I remember the excitement and optimism that came over us when Labour got into government in 1997 - that was amazing. Obama's election is like that, but ten times over and for the whole world.
It will certainly be a moment to hark back to. I think Britain is still a long way from having a non-white Prime Minister. I don't think it's a question of racism so much as one of identity and how we own our Britishness and our entitlement and responsibility towards it. It will be interesting though, to see if Obama's election inspires Black people in this country to truly believe they could aim for Downing Street.
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